A Golden Moon
by LoveDeeper
Summary: Nephrite comes home early from a business trip with a surprise that will change Makoto’s life forever.


Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters from Sailor Moon. I am simply borrowing them for a bit to write this snazzy little story :)

Makoto sighed as she turned the knobs of her shower until the cool water diminished to a fine drizzle. She squeezed the excess water from her hair and stepped out; a wall of heat greeted her, making her damp skin feel sticky. It had been an unusually hot day and, unfortunately, the night wasn't much cooler than the day had been. After drying off quickly with a towel, she went to her closet to attempt to find the coolest clothing possible to sleep in. Just as she had started looking, her cell phone rang. Makoto hastily grabbed her cream colored kimono with the pink and green dragons on it and hurried out to answer the call.

"Hello," she answered while tying the belt.

"Hey, Makoto. Sorry for calling so late."

"It's okay, Nephrite."

"I can't really talk now, but I didn't want you to miss out. Take a look outside and I'll call you tomorrow."

Makoto stared at her cell phone quizzically as the dial tone started, wondering why he had hung up so fast. He wasn't a guy of many words, but it wasn't like him to not say goodbye at least, especially since he was out of town for a business meeting. She shrugged it off, put her cell phone back on its charger, and wandered curiously over to her window seat. Makoto knew instantly what Nephrite had wanted her to see; the low hanging moon had a golden orange tint to it. Smiling at its beauty, Makoto unlatched the window and pushed it open.

The celestial ball was gorgeous in its frame of twinkling stars. It made Makoto a tad depressed; she so wished that Nephrite could be there to enjoy this with her. After a few more moments of gazing, she stood up and began to walk away so that she could finish getting ready for bed. She didn't get far when she felt something strike her back. Makoto let out a startled scream and then instantly covered her mouth in fear that she might have woken up her neighbors. She spun around to see what had hit her and found a stuffed dog resting face down on the floor. Picking the toy up, she tugged at its tattered ear and moved back to the window, figuring that had to be the only place it could have came from.

"Have you seen Crunchy, my dog? I seem to have lost him."

Makoto squealed as she saw a long haired figure standing below her window. She waved for Nephrite to come up and dashed over to the door, even though it'd take him a bit to get up to her apartment from the street. She unlocked it and then suddenly realized that her place was a total mess. Usagi and the girls had come over the night before for a study session which had involved more goofing around and chit chat than actual studying. Running back to her living room's table, she scooped up all of the used dishes and dumped them in the sink. Recognizing that she was quickly running out of time before he got there, she stuffed all of the scattered books and other random things that were in the room underneath the couch. Makoto heard a knocking on the door, ran her fingers through her hair just to make sure it hadn't gotten too frizzy, and cheerfully swung the door open.

Nephrite looked so wonderful standing in her doorway. He smiled as Makoto rushed over and embraced him in a big hug. It felt so good to be held by him after being apart. As he pulled back a little, she reluctantly let him go. Nephrite presented her with a single long stemmed red rose before walking into her apartment and draping his light coat and briefcase on the arm of the couch. Makoto closed the door, placed the flower on the kitchen counter, and happily moved towards the couch; without much warning, she pounced on him. Startled, Nephrite lost his balance and almost sent the two of them tumbling backwards. Luckily, he managed to both catch her and stay on his feet. Makoto wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met passionately and she never wanted this feeling of togetherness to end.

"Didn't anybody tell you that it's unladylike to straddle somebody when only wearing a kimono?" Nephrite inquired once Makoto had finally needed air.

"Nope," she teased. "What happened to the business trip? I thought you weren't coming back until Tuesday."

"I didn't want to wait that long to see you. Besides, Seiji and Tanaka can handle it."

Makoto smiled at his response, but thought that there was something odd about it. He didn't exactly answer her question and it was quite unusual for him to leave an important business meeting up to his partners, who weren't always the best at negotiations. Nevertheless, she was happy that he was there and wasn't going to ruin their time together by bringing up work.

"Well, I'm glad you came back early."

Nephrite nodded, shifted her up a little higher on his waist, and walked them quite clumsily back to her bedroom. Once there, he gracefully dropped her onto the bed and crawled in next to her, nuzzling into her neck. It was rare, yet so spectacular, when he was this affectionate. He pulled her kimono sleeve up and traced little circles on her forearm. Makoto sighed out of contentment and snuggled in closer to him, despite the heat.

Makoto began struggling to keep her eyes open. She was enjoying being with him too much and wasn't ready to fall asleep yet. Giving in to her sleepiness a little, she allowed her eyes to close. She was vaguely aware that Nephrite was being fidgety and had pulled his hand away. A moment later, he took her hand in his and slid something onto her ring finger. The cold weight caught her attention; she opened her eyes and glanced down at her hand as she sat up in a hurry. Encircling her finger was a silver ring with three small diamond shaped emeralds embedded into it. It had a sophisticated beauty that left her breathless.

"Nephrite," she questioned, barely able to get his name out.

"Makoto, I love you. I can't imagine the rest of my life without you in it," said Nephrite, his voice shaky. "I know we've talked about marriage and agreed that we should wait until you graduate, but I don't want to wait that long to prove to you, and everybody else, that I am completely devoted to you and only you. So, for now, please accept this promise ring as a sign of my commitment."

Makoto was trembling as she squeaked out a timid affirmative.


End file.
